In conversation with artist and educator David Menzies

They who work with their hands and their heads are craftsmen.
They who work with their hands, heads and hearts are artists.
---St Francis of Assisi

Over 60 people gathered in the surrounds of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) to engage in reflection about the connection between beauty, goodness and the spiritual life.

Led by artist and art educator, David Menzies, the group were encouraged to open their hearts to sparks of beauty. David commenced his presentation by sharing a story that prompted his journey into the world of art: the image of a sandal from 3000 years ago. This ancient sandal provoked a range of questions in him: Who wore it; what was their life about; how did they find meaning in their world 3000 years ago?

It is a curiosity that has never left him, and one which he says can be used when reading art: What is the world behind the artwork? Who is the artist, their context, their purpose? What story does the artwork tell? Who is the viewer? What is their context? What is their aesthetic literacy?

David then offered his reflections on the Triennial exhibition which curates the work of 100 artists from 32 countries – an extraordinary accomplishment. David noted that for some, art galleries are 'the cathedrals of the modern world'. These spaces provide a portal into the spiritual world too, as they offer an entry point to pondering the great mysteries of life.

The group, for a short period of time, were invited into the world of the artists. ‘It’s good for the soul’, one participant noted.

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COMING UP NEXT:
Sparks of Beauty in Science

“Only by discovering other planets, do we have a really good idea of understanding what it is to be a planet. ... Only by discovering life elsewhere will we really understand what makes life, life. ... I’m not afraid of finding other intelligences out there—I’m thrilled. I’m not afraid when something in my science challenges something I’d assumed all along in my faith, because I’ll tell you what happens all the time in my science—this bit of science challenges this bit of science, and I don’t throw my hands up and say, “‘The heck with science,”’ but say instead, “‘Wow”, which we know is the first step to a scientific breakthrough... to be able to say “I thought I understood God, but now I see something that makes me realize my picture of God was way too small.”

Br Guy Consolmagno SJ is the president of the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. Having studied planetary sciences at MIT and the University of Arizona, Br Guy worked as a researcher at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps in Kenya and taught physics at Lafayette College before entering the Jesuits in 1989. Since 1993, he has worked as an astronomer at the Vatican Observatory and was appointed president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation in 2014.